Barclay Goodrow
Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The Rangers add toughness and forward depth as they look to return to the playoffs.

Leen Amin

One of the most successful teams of the 2010s, the New York Rangers have been rebuilding over the past few seasons and might finally be ready to become contenders again.

They were impressive in 2020-21 and would have made the playoffs had they played in any other division.

Then the Rangers fired President John Davidson, general manager Jeff Gorton, and head coach David Quinn while promoting Chris Drury to the GM position and replacing Quinn with Gerard Gallant.

The new leadership went on to make significant changes to improve the roster heading into the 2021-22 season with the goal of making the playoffs in mind.

With the season fast approaching, let’s take a look at players the Rangers bid farewell and acquired this offseason.

Who’s in?

Sammy Blais

RW Sammy Blais has been placed in a tough situation. As the player the Rangers received in exchange for Buchnevich, fans will have some bitter feelings watching him take the ice in his Rangers debut.

Blais isn’t nearly the player Buchnevich is, scoring eight goals and 15 points in 36 games last year while being a poorer defensive forward. The fact that he’s still just 25 years old is what he has going for him.

 

Blais will likely start the season as the fourth line right winger, but his role there won’t be guaranteed long-term given the team’s newfound depth at the forward position.

Barclay Goodrow

The signing of F Barclay Goodrow was the Rangers’ big acquisition of the offseason. The Rangers made it a point to add strength and grit to their lineup and they did so by acquiring Goodrow.

Goodrow is coming off a good season in which he scored six goals and 20 points while doing very well defensively. He’s a solid player who was crucial to the Lightning in their Cup runs and will absolutely bolster the Rangers’ middle/bottom-six.

However, there are two potential issues with Goodrow: he played on a fantastic line with amazing linemates in Tampa and his contract could become a problem down the line.

 

Almost $22 million and six years for a 28-year-old who will likely spend the majority of his Rangers tenure in the bottom-six is a lot. And will he even be able to have the same success he achieved in Tampa?

Even so, forward depth was a problem for New York, especially in terms of defensive-minded and physical bottom-six forwards. Goodrow’s presence has the potential to be transformational.

Dryden Hunt

The Rangers clearly made adding depth defensive forwards a priority this offseason. They signed LW Dryden Hunt to a two-year deal this summer.

Hunt played 26 games in 2021 with the Arizona Coyotes and didn’t do much offensively, but was very effective in his own zone in limited minutes.

Hunt might not be a regular feature in the Rangers’ lineup this season, but he will have the chance to compete for a spot on the fourth line and, evidently, has the potential to win one.

He also might see some time on the penalty kill because of his excellent defensive ability. This was a silently solid signing for the Rangers.

Greg McKegg

He’s back. After a one-year hiatus, F Greg McKegg has returned to the Rangers on a one-year, two-way deal.

The 29-year-old center played 53 games with the Rangers two seasons ago, but will surely have a much more limited role this time around and, given the Rangers’ much-improved depth in their bottom-six, will likely spend most of the season in Hartford.

Patrik Nemeth
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Patrik Nemeth

Probably the Rangers’ second-best acquisition of the offseason, LHD Patrik Nemeth will help round out a much-improved defensive group.

Many speculated that the Rangers would prioritize acquiring a veteran LHD and that’s exactly what they did.

The 29-year-old Swede doesn’t do much scoring, but has been one of the best defensive-defensemen in hockey over the past few seasons, and he’s done it on both good and bad teams.

Nemeth will open the season as the Rangers’ third LHD, likely playing alongside the rookie and his fellow countryman, Nils Lundkvist.

This was a solid move for the Rangers. Nemeth will serve as a great mentor to the promising Lundkvist while helping the Rangers’ defense potentially become one of the best in hockey.

Ryan Reaves
Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports
Ryan Reaves

Conversations about toughness, the New York Islanders, and Tom Wilson made the Rangers emphasize the addition of physical, gritty players this offseason.

RW Ryan Reaves has said that he can be the solution to the “Tom Wilson problem” and it seems like the Rangers were interested.

The Rangers acquired Reaves from the Golden Knights in exchange for a 2022 third-round pick and then immediately signed him to a one-year extension. The 34-year-old Reaves is strictly here for his size, toughness, and eagerness to fight.

At his age, he doesn’t really bring much of anything else to the table. He no longer scores and is unremarkable defensively. We know that Gallant likes Reaves and clearly values the way he plays and what he brings to the teams he plays for.

Reaves is known for being a great locker room presence and can eventually become important to this young Rangers team.

Jarred Tinordi

Last but not least is LHD Jarred Tinordi. Tinordi is just another depth signing whom the Rangers value for his toughness and physicality.

Tinordi, who doesn’t score and isn’t good in his own zone, is huge and uses his 6’6″ frame to play a physical game. He’s another player the Rangers signed who won’t see much time on the ice and is much more of an emergency depth piece.

Who’s out?

Pavel Buchnevich
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Pavel Buchnevich

The biggest loss of the Rangers this offseason, by far, was RW Pavel Buchnevich. New York sent the 26-year-old to the St. Louis Blues in exchange for forward Sammy Blais and a 2022 second-round pick.

It was becoming obvious that Buchnevich’s contract situation was a precarious one, but this trade was suspect. Buchnevich took a while to get going, but had his breakout season in 2021.

He scored 20 goals and 48 points in 54 games and was the team’s best two-way forward. He was incredibly important to the Ranges at even-strength and on special teams.

Buchnevich leaves behind a glaring hole and, to make matters worse, the Rangers didn’t even get a great return for him.

They were unable to receive a first-round pick from St. Louis and the player they got, Blais, has had a poor career so far and can be considered unproven, at best.

Will Drury and the Rangers come to regret this move?

Colin Blackwell

F Colin Blackwell was the Ranger taken by the Seattle Kraken in the expansion draft. Blackwell wasn’t expected to have as significant role on the Rangers as he ended up playing.

Originally regarded as a solid depth signing, Blackwell played big minutes for the Rangers up and down the lineup, including as a top-six forward and on the power play. He scored 12 goals and 22 points in 47 games and was one of the team’s leading scorers.

Blackwell’s role will be filled by one of the Rangers’ promising youngsters and the question will be if they can put up similar numbers to his.

Phillip Di Giuseppe

LW Phillip Di Giuseppe emerged as a nice surprise in the Rangers’ lineup two seasons ago when he was called up as an injury replacement. He never really looked back, earning a relatively regular spot in the Rangers’ lineup.

He scored one goal and eight points in 31 games last season, but continued to be a fantastic defensive forward.

He brought many positives to the team, but the good news is that Di Giuseppe was used less and less towards the end of the season and had become expendable. The Rangers have better bottom-six options heading into the 2021-22 season.

Brett Howden
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Brett Howden

Many Rangers fans were relieved to see their team finally cut ties with C Brett Howden.

Howden came to New York as a prospect as part of the package deal they received from the Tampa Bay Lightning in exchange for LHD and captain Ryan McDonagh and F J.T. Miller.

Expectations were sky-high for the former first-round pick, but he never even came close to meeting them. Howden was a workhorse throughout his entire Rangers tenure, but that’s about it.

He was awful at everything, but the coaching staff appreciated how hard he worked and that allowed him to be a consistent presence in the Rangers’ lineup.

In July, the Rangers sent Howden to the Vegas Golden Knights in exchange for Nick DeSimone (whom the Rangers did not sign) and a 2022 fourth-round pick, a decent return for the young center.

As the Rangers seek to begin their playoff push, there is simply no place for Howden in the lineup and he will be replaced by much better players.

Brendan Smith
Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports
Brendan Smith

Finally, the Rangers bid veteran LHD Brendan Smith farewell this offseason. Smith was never a star player for the Rangers, but was a good veteran who provided valuable depth to a young Rangers team.

Smith brought some toughness and grit to a Rangers team last season that lacked those qualities while tying his career-high in goals with five.

The Rangers did upgrade at the position, but that’s not to say his presence won’t be missed, especially in the locker room.

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Leen Amin
Leen has written about the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL, and international soccer. She is currently the primary NHL writer for ESNY. Leen's work has been featured on Bleacher Report and she was formerly a contributor for FanSided's New York Mets blog, Rising Apple. She is a co-host of the Yankees-Mets Express podcast.

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